


Guardian Angel

by Qunsua



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken | Fire Emblem: Blazing Sword
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Found Family, Genderfluid Character, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Jaffar is a trans man, Legault is genderfluid, Nonbinary Character, Sonia is a TERRIBLE PERSON, Trans Character, Trans Male Character, Transphobia, what do you expect from sonia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-18
Updated: 2018-07-18
Packaged: 2019-06-11 20:09:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15323331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Qunsua/pseuds/Qunsua
Summary: “This is my fight. That monster killed my family, passed herself off as my mother, made my life a living hell.”“I know you want to, but you can’t.”Nino bowed her head, ashamed of her weakness.“But I can.”(My take on what happens during Night of Farewells.)





	Guardian Angel

“That should be the last of ‘em.”

Nino poked her head out from behind Lord Hector. _Stick with me and you’ll be fine_ , he’d said at the beginning of the battle, and he was right. The seemingly endless onslaught of pirates and wyvern riders had ended. All that remained was blood in the water. If it wasn’t for Mother–no, Sonia wasn’t her mother, never had been, Nino had just called her that once upon a time–waiting for them, she would have thought the nightmare was finally over.

“Kid! Look out!” There was a rumble beneath Nino’s feet. Lord Hector grabbed Nino and pulled her with him onto the next platform. “You said you can’t swim, didn’t you? It would be a damn shame to lose you now.”

Nino tightened her grip on Lord Hector. Words weren’t quite coming to her–they hadn’t been ever since what Sonia had said to her–but she managed to point in the general direction of Sonia and croak out a “Sh...she…”

“I know, kid. I know. We’re just trying to figure out what to do. She still has that damn tome that can get you from far away, so we can’t come too close.”

“Ah yes, Bolting!” A mage with purple hair and a monocle interrupted them. He must be with Lord Hector and Lord Eliwood, but Nino hadn’t had time to learn his name yet. Everything had happened too fast for there to be proper introductions. “A fascinating tome, really. It harnesses the power of the energy in the air to–”

“Canas, are you gonna just stand here and yap all night, or are you gonna do something about that tome of hers?”

“Right. Yes, I believe I can deflect her attacks until the tome runs out of uses. Lucius offered to help as well.”

“Yeah, you two are good at absorbing that stuff, or whatever it is you do. Sounds good to me, as long as I don’t have to get anywhere near it.” Lord Hector winced slightly. Nino had seen the same expression cross his face when a mage with a Thunder tome came too close. Maybe the electricity hurt more because of his armor, or something?

Anyway, the whole thing sounded more than a bit dangerous to Nino. She had been right next to Mother–Sonia–while she was using Bolting. Something about the crackle of the electricity and the smell coming from the pages and that awful sadistic glint in Sonia’s eyes made her shudder even now. Lord Hector glanced down at her. “What’s wrong?”

“Oh…” She looked nervously at Canas. “It’s just that that sounds dangerous, and–”

“Trust me, little one–Nino, was it? It’s nothing.”

 _Nothing_. Nino swallowed. Bolting sure didn’t seem like nothing to her, but surely an experienced scholar like Canas knew how to handle himself. She nodded. Canas gave her a kind look, then turned sharply, cape billowing as he made his way into the range of Bolting.

Nino ducked back behind Lord Hector to wait for it to be over. It wasn’t that she didn’t believe Canas, it was just that she didn’t want to be the one to see if he was wrong after all. And just listening to the sounds of Sonia chanting and the crackling sparks was bad enough.

“You okay back there, kid?”

Nino nodded out of habit, but couldn’t help thinking that Lord Hector might not be the person she needed right now. Sure, he was big and protective and good in a fight, but he didn’t really understand. He only knew Sonia as an enemy, no more than that. He might have helped to save Prince Zephiel, but he didn’t understand the boy’s desperate desire for approval, the fact that he and Nino were one and the same, the fact that it made so much sense for Sonia to have ordered him killed.

The only other person who understood that had been right beside Nino for that mission.

“Where’s…”

“Oh, that murderer from the Black Fang who came along with you?” Lord Hector rolled his eyes.

“He’s not…”

“Not what? A _murderer_? Nino, even I know that they called him the _Angel of Death_. Does that sound like _not a murderer_ to you?”

“No, he’s just...he’s not what you think.” Even Nino wasn’t sure she was convinced by her own words.

“Sure. Okay. Yeah, he’s over with Legault.”

Nino poked back out, stealing a glance at Sonia as she began making her way over.

The chanting had stopped. Sonia flipped through the pages of Bolting, let out an annoyed grunt, and tossed it aside before reaching for a second tome.

 _Fimbulvetr_. Nino shuddered. If Bolting was bad, Fimbulvetr was even worse. There was no smell or crackling noise to warn you like with Bolting, just a gust of wind and the horrible feeling that you would never be warm again.

How fitting that it was the signature tome of a cold, heartless woman like Sonia.

Canas and Lucius came back into view, looking a bit frazzled but otherwise fine.

“Bolting all stalled out?” They nodded. “Alright. Serra, take care of those two. The rest of us, let’s get this over with.”

The army was silent.

“Anyone? No one? Well, guess I’ll do the honors, then.” Lord Hector began marching up towards Sonia, but found his path blocked.

With a resolve she didn’t know she had, Nino stuck out her arm. _I’m so tiny next to him_ , she thought, not for the first time.

“Kid? What are you–”

“This is _my_ fight.” Her voice came out cold and sharp. Like Fimbulvetr. Like Sonia. She instantly cringed and softened her tone a little. “That monster killed _my_ family, passed herself off as _my_ mother, made _my_ life a living hell. I’m going to find out for myself what’s going on.” She began the march towards the throne, not waiting for anyone’s response.

“Oh, Nino.” Sonia smiled thinly as she came into her line of sight. “How sentimental and pathetic of you.”

“I thought,” Nino began, voice cracking as tears threatened to spill over, “for so long...that you were my real mother…”

Sonia laughed cruelly. “Your mother and father looked so much like you. They were so naive it made me want to vomit. I dressed in rags and entered their house with a child in my arms. They were sincerely concerned.” Nino bit her lip and tightened her grip on her Fire tome. “Trusting a stranger is so utterly foolish. Oh, they came to regret their trust, but it was too late…”

For a moment, Nino could only stare at the woman she had once thought of as a mother. At the woman who had taken everything away from her.

She screamed, a loud piercing shriek filled with fourteen years of pain and sadness and rage that she had never let herself feel.

“You’re no perfect being,” Nino said, her voice low, ragged and shaky. “You’re a monster in human form! No mercy! No forgiveness!” She opened her tome, poised her hand over the pages, and–

“You can’t.” A deep voice came from behind her. Jaffar’s. She would recognize it anywhere.

 _When did he_...He was an assassin. Nino was sure he had his ways. It wasn’t like it mattered now.

“Nino, I know you want to, but you _can’t_.”

“Why?” Nino’s eyes widened. She felt tears begin to form. No, she wouldn’t cry at a time like this. She wouldn’t let Sonia see how weak and pathetic she was.

“Nino, she’ll kill you.”

Nino’s voice shook. “And I’d rather die fighting her than–”

“ _No_.”

“But I–”

“I am _not_ losing you.” It somehow sounded firmer and more authoritative than anything the Angel of Death had ever said before. “You’re untrained. You’re using the most basic tome. You and I both know you can’t do it.”

Nino bowed her head, ashamed of her weakness.

“But I can.”

She tightened her grip on her tome. “Jaffar…”

“You saved me. I owe you something in return. A life for a life. I know this is your fight. Let me take it on for you.”

If Nino couldn’t do it, there was no one else she’d rather ask. “Go.”

Sonia cackled. “Oh, this is just beautiful. The emotionless puppet, the perfect killer, so bold as to think he can have feelings. And for worthless scum like this one, no less! Why, if it wasn’t so sad to see you abandoning perfection and beauty– _your_ perfection and beauty–I could just laugh at it all!”

Jaffar’s grip on his daggers tightened. What was going on? Nino had never known him to hesitate.

“A shame, really. You could have rivaled me once…” Sonia lifted a hand from her tome and placed it on Jaffar’s chest. “ _Angel of Death_.”

Oh. _Oh._

_“Jaffar, I can help you. But just to make sure I know where all your wounds are, I’m going to need you to take your top off.”_

_He grunted and shook his head, clinging to the edge of his tight, cropped top with his hands._

_“Well…” It wasn’t like this was unusual behavior for Jaffar. He never did like to let on much of anything. Or perhaps he thought taking off his shirt in front of a young girl like Nino was inappropriate. “If you insist. I’ll see what I can do like this.”_

So that was why he–but why did he never–

There was no time for this.  If he wanted the others to know, it was up to him when and how that happened. Not now. Not when both of their lives could be in danger thanks to Sonia’s cruelty. Even Jaffar appeared to be having second thoughts now. A grimace had spread across his face and he was turning away and... _no, Elimine, don’t let this be how it ends..._

He motioned for Nino to come forward.

“You want me to do it after all? It’s just as much your fight as–”

Jaffar cut her off.

“Together.”

Nino stood behind Jaffar. She could attack from a distance, and he’d tell her what to do. But instead of directing her to attack, he gently placed her hands on his and drew his daggers.

“It’s _our_ fight.”

“Ingrates! You owe your lives to Lord Nergal! You two, you're nothing but filth! But it matters not, as long as your essence remains intact. No other part of you now has any value.”

Ignoring Sonia’s words, Jaffar attacked, Nino’s hands on his. His first strike cut through Sonia as if she were made of butter; his hand moved as if guided by a power larger than himself.

It was the only strike they needed.

“And so it ends…” Jaffar looked back towards the rest of the army, making their way towards the throne.

Nino could only cling to Jaffar’s arm. Tears finally began to roll down her cheeks. She should be happy that Sonia was dead, she knew it, but all she could think was that everything she had ever known was gone.

And that Jaffar had gone through...that...for her.

“I’m sorry.”

He shook his head. “I told you I would keep you alive, and I did.”

“It’s not that.”

The two stood in silence for a moment, not wanting to acknowledge Sonia’s cutting words as she had stared at Jaffar’s chest.

“Does anyone else know?”

“Legault.”

Of course. There was something about the way Uncle Legault walked, something about the way he let his long hair flow behind him, something about the way he looked at Lloyd, something about the expression that crossed his face when people called him “sir,” as if he knew something they didn’t. If anyone were to understand, surely it would be Uncle Legault.

“...It doesn’t matter.”

Nino frowned. “I mean, I guess? It’s not like I think of you any differently because of it, but surely it’s something that matters to you, and it should be your choice if you want people to know…”

“We have other things to think about right now.” Jaffar reached around Nino, unfastening her cape from around her neck with surprising gentleness. “It’s wet. You’ll catch cold.”

That simple act was enough to make Nino burst into tears. Even if Sonia had never done such a thing for her, had barely acknowledged her existence...she was the only mother Nino had ever known. And now she was gone. Nino knew it was a good thing, but the rest of the Black Fang–her _family_ –were now her enemies.

And what of Zephiel? Surely he deserved to be free of his tormentor, too?

Jaffar wrapped his arm around Nino, leading her silently towards the rest of the army as they wrung the murky water out of their robes and began setting up camp.

Nino was inconsolable for the rest of the night. Sonia would have just told her to shut up and stop bothering everyone with her loud sobs, but Jaffar and Uncle Legault crouched down on either side of her as the others passed by offering kind looks and occasionally handkerchiefs. Canas lingered for a moment to give her hair a quick ruffle.

“We’re your family now, Nino,” Legault whispered. Jaffar squeezed her hand silently.

**Author's Note:**

> Some of the dialogue is taken directly from the game. It's probably obvious which lines.
> 
> Also, Jaffar activated Lethality, if that wasn't clear.
> 
> I didn't have her call Canas "Uncle" because they wouldn't have unlocked that support in time for this chapter to happen. ;w;
> 
> Nethie and Abby both looked at this beforehand. Nethie also helped me come up with the title. I owe both of them my life.


End file.
